The JR Newsletter is the official e-newsletter of the John Reich Collectors Society. The purpose of the John Reich Collectors Society (JRCS) is to encourage the study of numismatics, particularly United States gold and silver coins minted before the introduction of the Seated Liberty design, and to provide technical and educational information concerning such coins.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

David Perkins received a press release from Carl Wolf
of the Chicago Coin Club with sad news about the passing of Phil Carrigan:

PHILIP J. CARRIGAN

Philip J. Carrigan (73) passed away January 29, 2018.
He joined the Chicago Coin Club May 10, 1989 as member 1013. Phil was a life
member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), served as the Education
Chairman at the Chicago 1999 ANA Convention, worked as a volunteer at Chicago’s
2011, 2013-15 ANA Conventions and received the ANA Presidential Award in 2014.

Phil had a deep interest in Barber coinage. In 1989 he
became a charter member of the Barber Coin Collectors’ Society, served as
President (1994-2015), made many contributions to their journal and received
their 2015 Award of Appreciation. He was a charter member of the John Reich
Collectors Society and a member of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society where he
also served on their Board.

Phil collected Canadian and Maritime decimal coins and
tokens, was a life member of the Canadian Numismatic Association and attended
most of their annual conventions.

Phil was an avid collector of Canadian and United
States numismatic literature, including books, auction catalogues, fixed price
lists and related material. He enjoyed reading the history of early collectors
as told through the auction of their collections. His library was so large, he
frequently wondered if it was too heavy for the second floor of his home. Phil
was a recognized figure at most major numismatic literature auctions and recognized
as an expert in the field.

A
native of Massachusetts, Phil earned an undergraduate pharmacy degree from
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, a master’s degree from Northeastern
University and a Ph.D. in pharmacokinetics from the University of Connecticut.
He finished graduate studies at University of Buffalo. He joined Abbott
Laboratories in 1974 and served for thirty years working in the area of
pharmaceutical research and development. In 1985 he was inducted into Abbott’s prestigious
Volwiler Society which recognizes their most distinguished scientists and
engineers.

Phil was a dedicated volunteer and advocate in
Waukegan and Lake County, Illinois. He was elected as a Trustee at the College
of Lake County and also served as Chairman of the Board. He worked tirelessly
with numerous organizations dedicated to helping the homeless, the hungry and
visiting prisoners. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Eddie
Washington Center, which provides transitional housing for homeless single men
in Lake County Illinois.

Carl
F. Wolf

Secretary

Chicago
Coin Club

773-771-1311
Cell

carlwolfco(at)msn.com

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Editor’s note:Members of the JRCS will recall that Phil
enjoyed collecting bust coinage too.Phil and I had many conversations about bust half dimes and bust dimes
(and our New England roots).In fact,
Phil had a nearly-complete collection of Capped Bust Half Dimes.I remember Phil’s excitement in obtaining his
91st (out of 92 known) Capped Bust Half Dime die marriage at the ANA
show in Chicago.He had been searching a
long time for an 1833 LM-5 and became the proud owner of a PCGS G-6 at that
show.

Richard Meaney

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David
Finkelstein sent the following request:

WANTED:
Cull, damaged, and/or Poor-Fair 1795 Half Dollars. Christopher Pilliod (metallurgist, numismatist,
numismatic researcher, numismatic author, and President of the Flying Eagle and
Indian Cent Club) and I are performing state of the art analysis and research
of United States silver coins. Currently, we want to purchase five
1795 Half Dollars. The coins do not have to be round. The
coins can be holed, severely damaged, or in a basal state. We are
not looking for quality. We are looking for “cheap”. The
uglier and cheaper, the better. All that is required is enough
detail to confirm that the coin is a Flowing Hair Half Dollar. Please
contact David Finkelstein at dfinkelstein(at)comcast.net with the number
of coins available and the price. Your name will be mentioned in our
articles and presentations.

Nominees for JRCS Hall of Fame

Nominations for the JRCS Hall of Fame class of 2019 are now OPEN.

The membership is encouraged to send nominations for the Hall of Fame at any time. You can nominate candidates for either the veteran (those who contributed before the advent of JRCS) or the modern (those who have been members of JRCS) categories. Please include any pertinent information about the nominee that you feel necessary. Nominees will then be voted on by the HOF committee and the inductees will be announced at the annual meeting at the ANA convention in the summer. We look forward to seeing your nominations!

Please forward your nominations to bkaroleff(at)yahoo.com or to jrnewsletter(at)gmail.com or to any of the other members of the JRCS board of officers.